City of Demons (38 page)

“Well killed, Banes,” Relict said, getting up unsteadily from the floor. Blood dripped from shallow scratches on his face and hands. His back and hair were covered with straw and muck. He raised his arms and held out his cloak, wrinkling his nose. “Echh! Tarix will kill me. She always says I come back looking worse than the demons.” He took off the cloak and shook what he could from it. “You two make a good team,” he said, as he reluctantly re-settled the soiled cloth around his shoulders.

Garet and Salick grinned at each other, nerves still twitching from the battle and the renewed effects of the demon's jewel. Relict brought out the box and borrowed a stunning hammer from the tools hanging on the back wall of the barn. The cattle pushed against the rails of their stalls, the wood groaning in protest. The Red quickly broke open the demon's skull and scooped out the jewel. The closing of the box brought blessed relief to them all. Garet smiled when a nervous cow stuck its head between the rails to nuzzle against him for comfort. He scratched the sensitive spots behind her ears and thought of Saliat, the cow on his father's farm.

Salick and Relict wrapped the demon's corpse in a piece of canvas and pulled it outside. The snow had finally stopped and the clouds had drifted off, leaving the edges of roofs and fence posts more visible in the weak moonlight. Relict hefted the demon on his shoulder.

“You two go to the Lord's house and wake his guards. Tell them to see to the guard at the gate and to search the Ward for more victims.” He shifted the canvas covered burden on his shoulders. “I'll take this through the outer gate to the fields. Vinir can take it to the Depository tomorrow.” He looked back at the barn. “From what Andarack told us, we can guess that if there was another demon, it was gone when we were able to sense this one again.” He looked at Garet and Salick, who nodded in agreement.

“That's what happened at the old Temple,” Salick said. Relict nodded and walked through the yards, leaving them to carry out his orders.

Salick raised the guards by banging on the gates of the Ward Lord's compound. They had come as quickly as possible back down the main street, their progress slowed by the many frightened people woken from their sleep by the sudden broadcast of fear. Salick reassured them as best she could.

“No, the demon is dead,” she told them over and over again. “Go back to your beds.”

The citizens of the Ward did so reluctantly, perhaps no longer believing that Banes would tell the truth.

The Ward guard captain accompanied them to the plaza gate, running ahead of them on the slippery cobblestones. He turned pale when he saw the dead woman. Collapsing on the ground beside her and taking the body in his arms, he yelled at the Banes, furious in his grief, “Claws take you! How can we live if we can't trust you anymore?” He put his head down and wept over the slain guard.

Salick knelt beside him. “Captain, no one is more worried than we are over these attacks.” She put a hand on his shoulder, and he raised a tear-stained face to look at her. He was an older man, and the sadness was busy carving new lines into his weathered face.

“Why, Bane?” he sobbed. “Why?” He held the body closer. “This is my cousin. She honoured the Banehall, as I did. Why did you let her die?”

Salick's eyes were shadowed under her hood, but her voice was clear in the cold air. “I don't know the answer, friend. But I share your grief.” She let go of his shoulder and stood up. “If it helps you to know, a Bane was badly injured fighting the demon that did this. That Bane may now be dead.”

The captain did not answer, but rocked back and forth with the body held tightly in his arms. The thin moon shone through the open gate, covering the grieving man in a ghostly light. Knowing they could do no more, Salick and Garet walked quietly through the gate.

The corridors of the Banehall were deathly quiet when Salick and Garet crept in through the back gate. It had been opened for them and Salick left it that way for Master Relict's return. They made their way to Garet's room to see what news could be had from Marick and Dorict.

The two Blues were waiting for them, Marick still incensed at being left behind. It was some time before he would forgive them, but the description of the Crawler's attack on Relict shocked him out of his sulking.

“He tried to take on a demon with one of those toy swords?” he asked. The young Bane grinned at Dorict. “Maybe it's a good thing we didn't go along; my heart would have stopped to see it.” He slapped Garet on the arm and immediately withdrew his hand. “Ewww! What have you been rolling in?”

Garet smiled and took off his cloak. “The same things Master Relict was forced to roll in. We did fight the thing in a barn, after all.” He bundled the offending garment into a ball and dropped it by the door.

Dorict shook his head. “If Master Relict is in the same state, Master Tarix will have his head this time,” he said. Marick nodded vigorously in agreement.

“But why would Tarix object?” Garet asked them. “After all, she only trains Blues, not other Reds.”

Salick had to answer because Marick and even Dorict had broken out in great gusts of laughter at this question. The Gold twitched a smile herself as she replied, “Don't you realize that Masters Relict and Tarix are married?” She lost control at Garet's look of astonishment and choked out between hiccupped laughter, “Really, Garet! Didn't you think that Banes ever got married?”

He reddened and stood embarrassed until their laughter died down. Marick poked him in the ribs with his finger.

“The way you and Salick carry on, I thought you had already consulted Alanick for the best date to go to the Temple!” he whooped.

Garet started after the little Bane, but Marick dropped to the floor and rolled under his bed, out of Garet's reach. Salick put a hand on his shoulder, her laughter gone.

“Don't bother with him,” she said quietly. “Marick!” There was no answer from under the bed. “Come out now. I'll protect you.”

There was a shifting and scrabbling as the young Bane edged out cautiously. Salick assisted him by grabbing an ear and pulling him the rest of the way.

“Oww! Salick! You said you'd protect me!”

“I am,” she replied, lifting the boy to his feet. “I'm protecting you from Garet, who probably wants to throw you through that window rather than twist your ear.” She let go and Marick backed quickly into a corner.

“I'm sorry, Garet. I'm sorry, Salick,” he said contritely, then added with a grin, “but you two have been pretty obvious about it.”

He covered his ears with his hands, but Salick did not move. Garet watched them both.

“Don't worry about that fool,” Dorict said anxiously. “He says too much at the best of times.” He pulled Marick out of the corner and dragged him over to sit on his own bed.

Salick eyed him dangerously. “And do you have anything to say about it, Dorict?”

The usually quiet boy surprised them by answering, “Yes, I do.” He swallowed and then ploughed ahead, looking down at the knots in the floorboards. “I'm glad you two are in... close.” After saying such dangerous words, he floundered for a moment before continuing. “Ahh, what I mean is...well, it's good, that's all, that you're happy, I mean.” He trailed off and stood there in front of them, rubbing the sides of his feet together.

Marick was desperately silent behind him. Dorict waited for the claws to fall.

Salick paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and then folded the stout boy awkwardly into her arms. “I'm sorry, Dorict,” she said, then looked at the shocked face of Marick. “I'm sorry to you as well.” She held out an arm and Marick leaned into her embrace in a daze. “You two have given me more grief and irritation than any ten other Banes,” she continued. “Except, maybe for Garet here.” She smiled at him over the heads of the two Blues. “But I am happy, at least as happy as any Bane can be in these times. Oh, and I'm even happier that I can share it with both of you.” Tears ran down her face and she held out her arms to Garet who took the place of the Blues, who wisely retreated to allow this new embrace. Dorict and Marick stood by and watched, managing to look embarrassed and pleased at the same time.

She looked over Garet's shoulder at the two Blues. “But don't think I won't be as hard on you as before...”

“Good!” Marick laughed. “I can deal with changed demons, murderous swordsmen, and even mad Hallmasters, but a gentle Salick would be too much to take!”

Garet's heart beat so loudly that he was sure it would wake the Hall. He held Salick for what seemed a very short time before Dorict timidly interrupted.

“We should tell you what happened to the other Banes from the Tenth Ward,” he sniffed, wiping his nose on his sleeve. Marick nodded in agreement, one hand still absently holding his ear.

Salick and Garet sat down on two of the room's three chairs while the two younger Blues sat on Dorict's bed and filled them in.

“There was a badly injured Bane,” Marick began, “just as you said, Garet. It was a Green, Rablick.”

Salick gave a small cry. “She's almost a Gold! How did...”

“It's Farix's fault,” Dorict cut in, his round face clouding over. “He made her wait by herself while they, Adrix's bunch, patrolled in pairs.” He bit his lip. “Rablick said that Farix even knew it was a Crawler when he left her to guard a courtyard gate. I heard her tell Banerict. It just dropped on her. There was no fear to warn her; so she was clawed pretty badly around the face and shoulders before help could come.”

Salick snarled, one hand unconsciously reaching up to touch the thin red line of her scar.

“We checked with Banerict,” Marick added. “He kicked us out pretty fast, but he was ready to carve Farix up over it.” The young Bane lowered his voice. “He said she might lose the sight in one eye.”

There was a silence as they digested this news.

“Was Farix hurt?” Garet asked. The thought of that bullying, false Master leaving a Green alone to face a demon that could almost kill a Red sickened him. He remembered the arrogant smile on Farix's face as he read out the names, Garet's included, of those to be demoted at Adrix's command. A rage similar to that he had felt on the bridge rose in him. He was imagining the pleasure he would get by wiping the smile off Farix's face, when Salick interrupted his thoughts.

“At least now everyone will see that Adrix isn't taking the new demon threat seriously,” she said quietly, “although I doubt that will cheer Rablick up.” She got up and paced the room. “This can't go on! If we keep losing Banes like this, we won't have enough of the higher ranks to patrol the Wards!” She stopped and leaned her shoulder against the door.

“Don't worry,” Garet told her, concerned with the desperate look in her eyes. “Banerict fixed you up, twice now! He'll keep patching us up, at least enough to fight a few more demons.” He smiled at her and was rewarded with a rolling of her eyes.

“I suppose,” she replied. She opened the door and said, “I'm going to see how Rablick is...” she stopped in mid-sentence and listened, her head cocked towards the corridor. Garet made to speak but she shushed him and continued listening. Without a word, she disappeared into the narrow passage. The three Blues exchanged confused glances, then rose as one to follow her.

They found Salick at the top of the stairs leading down to the second floor. She was listening to voices that floated up from the floors below. She heard the others coming up behind her and waved them over to the railing.

“No, only loyal Greens and Golds,” a voice said. “The rest will fall in line after we've defeated the King's Guards and those murdering Duelists!” The voice drifted off as the speaker moved out of range.

“That was Farix!” Marick whispered. “I'd know that smug tone anywhere.”

Dorict squeezed the railings in his hands, a snarl on his face. “I hate that beast-born fool!”

Salick looked at the young Bane, not used to such emotion from him, but Garet remembered the look on Dorict's face after he returned from capturing Shoronict; quiet or not, the Blue could be as wild as a demon when finally provoked.

“Come on,” Salick whispered. “We have to warn Master Mandarack that Adrix is going to attack the King.”

“Is that such a bad thing, Salick?” Marick asked, holding her sleeve. “We should let them kill each other. Maybe some sensible people will be left.”

Salick shook her head. “If we win, Adrix is King as well as Banehall Master. Do you want to live in Shirath if that happens?” she asked.

Marick let go, grimacing at the thought. “Let's go find the Master.”

They avoided Adrix's supporters by taking a back staircase and coming to the main floor of the Hall near the infirmary. Salick hesitated by the infirmary door, but Garet pulled her away.

“Later. We have to talk to Master Mandarack first,” he told her.